Newton Candidate Profile: Deborah Crossley For City Council

NEWTON, MA — With the Newton Municipal Election scheduled for Nov. 7, Patch is profiling the candidates.

Here, we learn more about Deborah Crossley , who is an incumbent running for one of two councilor-at-large seats in Ward 5 on the Newton City Council. Also running are Andreae Downs, a fellow incumbent, and Rena Getz.

Crossley is an architect who has been an at-large councilor for 14 years.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Name

Deborah Crossley

How old will you be as of Election Day?

xx

Campaign website

https://www.debcrossley.org

What city or town do you live in?

Newton

What office are you seeking?

City councilor at large

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here

NA

Education

Bachelor of Science, Environmental Design; Bachelor of Architecture; MA licensed architect

Occupation

Architect

Family

I've lived in Newton for 38 years with my husband Phil, a construction project manager. Now retired, he pursues woodworking and tennis. Our children attended NPS K-12; Phil coached soccer. Son James, 34, is now a chemistry teacher and cross country coach at NSSH; Daughter Nicole "Nikki", 39, is a self-employed dietician, married to Dustin, and mom to our grandson, Oakley, 15 months!

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Yes, I have been an at large councilor for 14 years.

Why are you seeking this office?

To continue my work on two fronts. Since 2010, I have been leading and helping to advance strategic plans to renovate/rebuild our schools and public buildings, and to rehabilitate and properly maintain roads, sidewalks, water systems, parks and open spaces. As we work to overcome decades of poor maintenance policies, we must continue these programs.

The city must also plan for future generations. As chair of the Zoning & Planning Committee, I work to build consensus on policies and programs that will help keep our city strong and vital. New rules can enable more diverse housing options to meet the needs of current and future generations and support thriving village businesses by locating that housing within walking distance and close to public transit. We must also implement energy efficiency, clean energy and water management programs to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Flawed, overly stringent land use rules, "zoning," prevent our beautiful community from growing and evolving with the times. It's time to fix the rules that are strangling village businesses and sending home prices to the sky.

Despite our renowned schools, we have fewer young adults living in Newton than ever, steadily declining school enrollment, and few places to find accessible 'right-sized' homes as we age.

Meanwhile, businesses in most villages struggle to survive with too few customers. They need more feet on the street which nearby housing can supply. I support the new zoning that the Village Center Overlay District offers. It recovers the ability we had pre-1987, to allow property owners in 12 villages to improve their properties with multi-family housing over retail, and in nearby neighborhoods, it incentivizes adaptive reuse of existing homes as 3-6 family homes. I pledge to monitor very closely the projects this inspires, to make sure we get it right.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

There are three of us vying for two seats, which makes this complicated. My positions on issues are mostly aligned with those of my colleague Andreae Downs. For example, I see a critical need for more housing options in Newton, AND actually vote for good projects that will bring them, such as allowing multifamily housing near and accessible to transit options.

Our opponent says she cares about housing, but has worked against these projects, and requires levels of affordability impossible to finance, as a condition. But most importantly, I share a work ethic with my colleague. A well-informed collaborative process is essential to get the hard work done for the well-being of our community. Public input and robust discussion are essential to our deliberations, but we must also be able to drive consensus and move forward.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

As mentioned, it is a 3-way race for two seats.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

How can we most wisely use limited financial resources in the wake of a failed operating override? What programs and projects are slowed down as a result? How does the mayor's investment plan afford more funds for the public schools? How have sharp increases in construction costs since the pandemic affected the city capital plan? In particular, what's the status of the city's aggressive roads and sidewalks repaving program? What additional climate mitigation measures can the city take? For example, where is Newton with respect to regulating electrification of new construction, as one of ten Massachusetts communities who may be approved to do so? How can the city improve capacity in our storm water system to accommodate increasing rainfall intensity? There are many more issues — but I am prepared to address all.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I collaborate to get stuff done. Here are some examples:

• 2010: Organized efforts to bring Green Communities program to Newton resulting in grants for ongoing city energy efficiency projects.
• 2011: Led Zoning Reform Group, published framework for reforms.
• 2012-13 and ongoing: Initiated, collaborated to build a citywide strategic plan to renew leaking water, sewer and storm water systems, which earned millions in state grants and stabilized rates (ongoing monitoring).
• 2014-2020: Public Facilities Committee chair — Managed an agenda to advance many city building and renovation projects; collaborated with city, DRC to advance building energy standards for city projects; collaborated with Green Newton Building Standards Committee to require high-performance standards for private construction.
• 2017: Collaborated on working group to make accessory apartments widely attainable; worked with city, energy commission to create Climate Action Plan (adopted 2019).
• 2020-present: Zoning & Planning Committee chair — Building consensus on zoning reforms to enable multifamily housing in village centers; working with Sustainability Team and Council to adopt MA optional building energy codes (2023); building electrification ordinance and Building Energy Reduction.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Listen and Learn. Discuss. Then act.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I love this city and want to help ensure it remains a viable and welcoming community for generations to come.